Sheet-delivering mechanism.



H. Y. ARMSTRONG; SHEET DELIVERING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILEDSEPT. 12, 1-914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

' a SHEETSSHEET I.

W W (q 1/ I H. Y. ARMSTRONG. SHEET DELIVERING MECHANISM.

APPLICATXON FILED SEPT- 12, 1914.

Patented June 20, 1916.

H Y. ARMSTRONG. SHEET DELIVERING MECHANISM.

Patented June 20, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- liven?" Q/mafifi APPLICATION FILED SEPT- IZ, I914.

HARRY YARRINGTON ARMSTRONG, 01E SPRINGFIELD. MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGN OR TO PACKAGE MACHINERY COMP, 0F SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- rioir or nassacn osnrrs.

SHEET-DELIVERING MECHANISM.

mace.

Specification of Letters Yatent.

Patented d1 time 241 19118..

Original application filed -October 24, 1911, Serial No. 656,504. Divided and this application filed September To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, HARRY Y. ARMSTRONG,

This invention relates to improvements in wrapping machines, and refers more specifically to a novel Wrapper feed mechanism, for feeding a wrapper across the path of the article to .be wrapped, to be thereby forced with the article into a folding slot or way and therebyfolded about the article. The wrapper-feeding mechanism herein shown is adapted for employment in connection with the wrapping machine shown in my prior application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 656,504, filed on the 24th of'October, 1911, of whichthe present ap plication is a division.

I have shown in the drawipgs herein only such parts of the machine as are necessary to an understanding of the present invention, and for a full understanding of the complete machine, reference may be had to;

the drawings of the said prior application.

The invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings :-Figur 1 is a fragmentary vertical longitudina section taken through the principal oper'ative portionspf a machine embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a'partial elevation and partial section taken in a plane in rear of the parts shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 3 and 4 are partial plan views and partial sections, hereinafter to be described. Fig. 5 is a perspective view'of a gripper device constituting part of the sheet-feeding mechanism. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary view-illustrating a takeup device embodied in the mechanism for giving movement to the gripper device.

Referring .to the general construction of the machine, 10 designates the base thereof and 11 designates a bed plate from which rises one or more upright flanges 12.

12, 1914. Serial No. 861,371.

Referring more particularly to Fig. 1, 14 designates a magazine in which the articles to be wrapped (hereinafter referred to as sticks of gum) are piled. They are dis-- charged from the lower end of the magazine by means of a plunger 15 which reciprocates through sa1d magazine and a channel 16,. and a wrapper slot or channel 16'. Arranged across this wrapper slot or channel is a notch 17 to receive inner Wrappers out from a continuous wrapper strip by a paper feed and cutting mechanism 18. As said gum and wrapper are forced through the folding slot or channel 16 the paper is folded 1 about three sides of the gum. At the end of the stroke of the plunger 15 the partially wrapped gum is carried tothe upper notch 20 of a rotative wrapper head 21. During the retractive movement ofthe plunger 15, the head 21 is turned tobring the partially wrapped gum into the plane of a lower folding slot or channel 22, and to bring another pocket 21 of said head into line with the folding channel or slot 16'. A second plunger 23 operates to force the partially wrapped gum from the lower pocket of the head 21 beneath a presser member 24 and into and through asecond folding slot. or channel 22 in which the terminal margin of the wrapper is folded around. the pack? age to complete the side folding. As shown in my aforesaid application. the end folding of the wrapper is effected when the gum and wrapper pass through the slot or channel 22.

The wrapped gum is forced by the plunger 23 at the end of its stroke from its slot 22 into the upper pocket 25 of a second rotative wrapper head 26, and between the end of said slot 22 and the said upper pocket an outer or label wrapper is delivered into the path of the gum so as to be partially folded connected to a single movable part, such as the cross head 31, so that all of said plungers are simultaneously advanced and the wrapper heads are partially rotated during the retractive movement of said plungers.

Referring now more particularly to the means for delivering the outer or label wrapper across thepath ofv the gum while passing fromthe wrapping slot or channel 22 to the upper pocket 25 of the'rotative head 26, the same is made. as follows: The wrappers, designated by a, are held in a confined group in the magazine supported above the second slot or channel 22. The magazine is provided at its lower end with an extension 36 in which is formed a slot 37, arranged in line with the slotted channel 22. While the gum, wrapped with the inner wrapper, is passing, together with the outer or label wrapper, through said slot 37, the

outer orv label wrapper is wrapped about three sides of the previously wrapped gum and is in this condition delivered to the upper pocket 25 of the wrapper head 26. The

completion of the wrapping is efi'ected, as

before stated, when the gum and wrapper are forced into the slot or channel 28. The

n wrappers a are stripped from the magazine by means of a stripper roller 38. They are carried downwardly through the space 40 and are delivered into the space 41 between the jaws 42, .43.of a gripper device, at a time when the latter is elevated, and said gripper device is subsequently swung downwardly with the jaws closed upon the wrap per and to draw said wrapper away from the magazine'and into the path of the gum. The jaw 42 is made integral with an arm' 45 that is fixed to a rock shaft 46 which is mounted in a suitable bearing on the machine frame. The second or swinging jaw 43'ispivoted at 48 to the fixed jaw and a tension spring 49, attached to the tail of the swinging jaw and to the rock shaft 46, tends to hold the ends of the jaws in position to grip a sheet of paper. The said jaws are adapted to be opened by a toggle lever arrangement which is best shown in Figs. 1 and 5, and is made as follows 50 designates a toggle arm which is pivoted at one end'to a rock shaft 46, or to a screw mounted axially therein. 51 designates another toggle arm that is pivoted at one end to a pin 52 that extends laterally from the tail of the swinging jaw and to which one end of the spring 49 is attached. The said toggle arms 50 and 51 are pivotally connected together at their adjacent ends by means 'of a pin'55 which pin is herein shown as provided with a roller 56, for a purpose hereinafter described. When the toggle arrangement described is broken downwardly, as shown in Fig.5, the spring 49 acts on the swinging jaw to swing'said j aw to its closed position, or in position to cotiperate with stop or lug 58 on the toggle arm 50 adapted to engage the adjacent end of the other toggle arm 51.- When said toggle arms are thus straightened, the axis of the pivot pin 55 is ina plane slightly above a plane passed through theaxes of the pivot pins atthe outer ends of the toggle arms. When the toggle arms are broken downwardly, as shown in Fig. 5, the axis of the pivot pin 55 is below aplane passed through the axes of the pivots at the outer ends. of the toggle arms. Therefore, the spring 49 serves to maintain the "swinging jaw in its open position as well as in its closed position.

The rock shaft 46 of the gripper device is oscillated by means hereinafter to be described, and swings the gripper device up and down, regardless of whether the jaws are'open or closed, the swinging movement of thedevice having no effect, in itself, on the relative position of the jaws. Thus when a wrapper is to be delivered from the magazine-by the stripper roller 38, with the parts shown in the positions assumed in Fig.

1, after the lower edge of the wrapper passes a sufficient distance below the magazine, the gripper device is swung upwardly toward the lower edge of the partially delivered wrapper until the advance edge of the wrapper passes between the jaws. In order to close the jaws upon the wrapper at this time, I provide one of the toggle arms'with a striking lug 62 which, when said swinging gripper 'devicereaches its uppermost position suddenlystrikes the under plate of the folding slot or channel 22 and breaks the toggle downwardly thereby permitting the spring 49 to quickly close the jaws upon the advance edge of the wrapper. Thereupon L the shaft 46 is rocked in a direction to swing the gripper device downwardly, thus pulling the wrapper into the path of the wrapped gum as it is directed from the secondary.

folding slot to the receiving pocket of the secondary wrapper head. Just'before the justing the throw of the swinging gripper device to the length of the wrappers, to the distance which the wrappers are fed down by the roller 38, and also to the location of the printed labels on the wrapper. It is also desirable that the gripper jaws shall swing upwardly toward a wrapper a dis-' thus effecting a variable stroke or movement of the swinging gripper device from a constant rotation of the driving shaft 64 at the front end of the machine, by which the gripper device is rotated The mechanism for effecting this result is made as follows:

80 designates an eccentric that is fixed to the driving shaft 64 and 81 designates an eccentric strap provided with an eccentric rod 82 which extends rearwardly from the driving shaft. of the eccentric rod is a sleeve 83, which is adapted to be adjusted longitudinally along said rod and to be held indifferent adjusted positions thereon by means of and between nuts'84, 84, screw-threaded to said rod. Said sleeve is provided with an upstanding lug 85 which is pivoted at 86 to the lower end of an arm 87, which is swingingly mounted in any suitable manner "on the rock shaft46 that carries the wrapper gripper device, said member 87 being on the side of the frame web or flange 12 opposite to said gripper device. Fixed to the shaft 46, between said swinging arm 87 and the bearing on the web 12, as by means of the pin shown, is a fitting 90 which is provided at its rear side with a laterally extending lug 91 which overlaps the rear side of the freely swinging arm 87. Said fitting 90 is adapted for engagement at the forward limit of its movement with a stop lug 94 which extends laterally from the web 12 in front of the fitting. 95 designates a screw bolt which extends through one opening in the lug 91 and enters and has screw-threaded engagement with an opening on the swinging member 87. Surrounding said screw bolt 95 and interposed between the head of said bolt and the .lug 91 is a spiral expansion spring 98, which tends normally'to hold the said lugs 91 engaged with the rear side of the swinging A arm 87. I

With this construction, when the eccentric rod is moved forwardly by the eccentric 80, it acts through the lugged sleeve 83, the swinging arm' 87 and the lugged fitting 90 to swing the rock shaft 46 rearwardly and to thereby swing the gripper device upwardlyv into position to engage and grip the wrapper. During the rearward movement of the eccentric rod the swinging gripper device is swung downwardly, through the medium of the parts described, and this downwardly swinging movement continues until the lug 91 of the fitting 9O eccentric.

Mounted on the rear endstrikes the stop lug 94. lhereupon the rock shaft and the swinging gripper device are arrested, but if the throw of the eccentric has not been completed or taken up, the spring or yielding connection between the arm 87 and the fitting 90, afforded by the screw bolt 95 and the spring 98, permits the movement of the eccentric and eccentric rod to continue without imparting movement to the rock shaft of the swinging gripper device, the compression of the spring taking up the idle movement of the At such time the swinging arm 87 will move away from the fitting 90. With this construction, by adjusting the eccentric rod sleeve 83 toward the free end of the rod, the gripper device will be moved forwardly a correspondingly greater distance toward the wrapper a, but the gripper device will not, in its return movement, swing a corresponding distance below its mid or central position, but will remain stationary after the fitting 90 engages the stop lug 94, and the spring 98 absorbs or takes up the remaining portion of the movement of the eccentric. If the sleeve 83 be adjusted on the eccentric rod toward the driving shaft 64, the upward swing of the gripper device will be shortened.

While the package with the outerwrapper thus partially wrapped thereon occupies the upper or receiving pocket 25 of the secondary wrapper head 26, paste is applied to one margin of the wrapper through the medium of a paste applying finger 100 which receive paste .from any suitable source, as from the paste pot shown in my aforesaid prior application, of which this application is a division. The means shown in Fig. 2 to transmit driving power for the various wrapper elements from the power shaft 64 are fully described in my aforesaid prior application and need not be repeated here.

I claim as my invention 1. In a wrapping machine, a gripping device for drawing a wrapper into the path of an article to be wrapped comprising a 'rock shaft, with means to rock the shaft, a

fixed jaw mounted on the shaft, aswinging jaw pivoted to the fixed jaw, toggle arms connected at their outer ends to said shaft and to the tail of the swinging jaw, respectively, and pivotally connected together at their inner ends, said arms being'operative to hold the jaws opened when the toggle arms are straightened, a spring connected to the swinging jaw to hold the jaws closed when the toggle arms are broken down, said spring being disconnected from said toggle but operative through said swinging jaw to hold the toggle arms in either their straightened or broken positions.

2. In a wrapping machine, means for drawing a wrapper into the path of an article to be. wrapped therein comprising a swinging gripper device, a rock shaft on which said device is mounted, an eccentric for giving movement to said rock shaft, and operative connections between said rock shaft and eccentric, embracing adjustable means to varythe total angular movement of said shaft and gripper device.

3.'In a wrapping machine, means for drawing a wrapper into the path of an article to be wrapped therein comprising a swinging gripper device, a rock shaft-on which said device is mounted, an eccentric with means to rotate it, a'fixed stop for limiting the angular movement of said rock shaft and a member connecting the; eccentric tothe rock shaft, having means to adjustably connect it to the rock shaft to vary the angular movement of the rock shaft relatively to the constant movement of the eccentric. I

4. In a wrapping machine, means for drawing a wrapper into the path of an article to be wrapped therein comprising a swinging gripper device, a rock shaft on which said device is mounted, an eccentric with means to rotate. it, an arm loosely mounted on the rock shaft, a rod connecting the eccentric to said arm, means whereby the-arm may be adjusted longitudinally. of the rod, a fixed stop to limit the angular movement of the rock shaft and a yielding connection between the rock shaft and said to said rock shaft, a fixed stop to engage the fitting and to thereby limit the angular movement of said shaft, said fitting being provided on its side, remote from said stop,

with a lug which overlaps said arm, and a spring interposed between said lug and a part carried by said arm.

6. In a wrapping machine, a driving shaft;

mounted therein, a wrapping mechanism 0peratively connected to said driving shaft,

and means for delivering a wrapper across '50 the path of the article, embracing a swinging gripper devicev arranged to swing toward and from said path to grip the advance margin of a wrapper presented thereto and to draw the wrapper across said path, comprising a relatively fixed anda swinging jaw, a toggle for opening said jaws, a spring acting on said swinging jaw and said toggle device to hold the jaws open when the toggle device releases the swinging jaw and for holding said toggle device in position to hold the jaws closed, and means operatively connected to the drivin shaft for giving swinging movement to said gripper device.

7. In a wrapping machine, a frame, a

driving shaft mounted therein, a wrapping mechanism operatively connected to said driving shaft, means for delivering an outer wrapper across the path of the article to be wrapped. embracing a swinging gripper device,swingable toward and from said path, a rock shaft on which the gripper device is mounted, means for operating said rock shaft from said driving shaft to swing the gripper device, comprising an eccentric on the driving shaft, a connecting member between the eccentric and the rock shaft, a stop on the frame for limiting the angular -movement of the rock shaft and an adjustable connection between said connecting member and the rock shaft constructed to vary the angular movement of the rock shaft and the gripper device relatively to the constant movement of the eccentric and connect ing member.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 20th day of August, 1914.

' HARRY YARRINGTON ARMSTRONG.

Witnesses:

JOHN H. MCCREADY, H. E. HARTWEIL. 

